1. Field of the Invention
Many farms and ranches have numerous fence lines through which vehicles and farm equipment must be driven and which utilize fence openings equipped with cattle guards to facilitate the movement of vehicles and farm equipment through fence lines while preventing passage of cattle through the fence openings.
The requisite structural features of a cattle guard of this type are well-known and many cattle guards are fabricated on the farms and ranches upon which they will be used. However, the fabrication of cattle guards requires the utilization of a considerable amount of materials which must be purchased in a remote location and transported to the farm or ranch. Further, preconstructed cattle guards are relatively large and may not be conveniently shipped from a manufacturer to a point of use.
Therefore, a need exists for a cattle guard which may be manufactured in a remote location and transported to a point of use in knock-down form for erection at the site of use through the utilization of minimum tools and other equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Various different cattle guards including knock-down cattle guards and incorporating some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,529,460, 1,569,235, 2,539,214, 2,592,225, 2,644,674, 2,938,711, 3,256,637 and 3,384,352. However, these previously known forms of cattle guards do not include the overall structural features of the instant invention and of knock-down construction for ease of erection on site.